Canning-boiler



P. swim.

CANIIIIIG BOILER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 5, I919.

I 1,341,353. Patentfid May 25, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

in yen fo r.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PRESTON BELVIN, or RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

CAN N IN G-BOILER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1920.

Application filed. September 5, 1919. Serial No. 321,823.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Pnns'roN Bnnvnv,

citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Canning- Boilers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved canning boiler and has as one of its principal objects to provide a device wherein the canning jars may be individually placed in or removed from the boiler, thus eliminat ng any necessity for the diflicult and trying task, as commonly experienced n this class of devices, of lifting all of the ars at once when being placed within or removed from the boiler.

of steam will escape from the boiler when each jar is removed therefrom,this construction providing an arrangement whereby one or more of the jars may be taken from the boiler without appreciably lowering the temperature of the water thereinor affecting the temperature of the other ars in the boiler.

The invention has as a further ob ectto provide a device having a plurality of individual steaming hoods for the ars so that each jar may be heated within its own hood independently of any of the other ars and wherein, if desired, the jars may be rested directly upon the bottom of the boiler within said hoods, the hoods all being openat their lower ends for the further purpose of receiving steam generated in the boiler.

The invention has as a still "furtherobject to provide a device wherein the steaming hoods will be formed with individual closure caps so that any one of the jars may, by simply removing the closure cap of that particular steaming hood, be readily examined or removed without molesting any of the other jars while, at the same time, a minimum of steam will be allowed to escape fromthe boiler.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a device employing indi- In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved boiler,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the device,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, this view showing canning jars of conventional type in position within the boiler,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view taken through the lid of the boiler, this view particularly showing the mounting of the intgrnal guide flange employed upon the lid, an

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view showing the type of individual jar holder employed.

In carrying the invention into effect, I employ a preferably oblong outer shell or container 10. This container may be formed of sheet metal or other approved material and is adapted to contain a quantity of water. At its ends the container is equipped with handles 11 and closing the container is a lid 12. This lid may also be constructed of sheet metal and is provided with an outer flange 13 overhanging the container and with an inner flange 14 projecting within the container and adapted to guide the lid when placed thereon. As shown in detail in Fig. 4, the flange 14 is substantially channel shaped in cross section, fitting within the angle of the flange 13 which latter flange is rebent at its outer margin to engage the free margin of the outer wall of the guide flange. This construction provides an arrangement whereby the flange 14 serves to reinforce the flange 13 and also provides a striking plate for the lid adapted to contact with the upper edge of the container. Swingingly mounted upon the end walls of the container are hooks 15 adapted to engage within suitable keepers 16 carried by the lid so that the lid may thus be securely and tightly fastened upon the container.

Depending from the lid 12 into the container is a plurality of individual steaming hoods or steaming tubes 17 for the canning jars. These hoods are, as particularly shown in Fig. 2, suitably spaced with respect to each other and may also be formed of suit able sheet metal, being overturned or flanged at their upper ends against the upper face of the lid and thus rigidly secured together. In this connection it will, of course, be understood that tight joints are provided he tween the hoods and the lid. The hoods are open at their lower ends as well as at their upper ends and, as particularly brought out in Fig. 3, terminate ,at their lower extremities in spaced relation to the bottom wall of the container. Closing the hoods at their upper ends are individual closure caps 18 therefor. Like the steaming hoods, these caps may also be formed of suitable sheet metal and, as particularly illustrated in Fig. 3, are provided with depending flanges snugly engaging within the hoods and with lateral flanges overlying the upper ends of the hoods. Connected to said caps are suitable handles 19 so that the caps may be readily removed or placed in position.

I further employ individual holders for the canning jars. One of these holders is illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. As there illustrated, each of said holders is in the nature of a basket. In forming the body of the basket two lengths of resilient wire are preferably employed. These lengths of wire are respectively bent upon themselves to provide a series of vertical reversely presented loops, alternate loops forming legs 20 for the basket while the intermediate loops are, at their lower end portions, bent inwardly to form hangers 21 for a jar, all of the loops being arranged in concentric relation about a common axis. After the loops are formed the end portions of the wires are overlapped and twisted together to form upstanding arms 22 terminating at their upper ends in loops 23 and swingingly engaged with these loops is a bail or handle 24. In Fig. 3 of 'the drawings, I have shown a pair of conventional canning jars 25 in position within the baskets therefor. As will be observed, the baskets are adapted to snugly receive the jars resting upon the hangers 21 and since the basket bodies are expansible, the jars will be resiliently gripped thereby so that thebail 24 of each of the baskets may be grasped and the jars thus individually carried about without the necessity for touching the jars or likelihood of displacement thereof from its baskets.

In use, the container 10 is filled with water to stand at a level above the lower ends of the steaming hoods 17. The caps 19 are then removed when the jar baskets with the jars therein may be lowered into the steaming hoods, it being observed in this connection that the hoods are formed to freely receive the baskets while the baskets are adapted to support the jars above the bottom wall of the container for permitting a free circulation of water beneath the jars as well as preventing the jars from being directly subjected to the heat from the bottom wall. In this connection it will, of course, be understood that heat is applied beneath the container. After the jars have been thus fitted within the individual steaming hoods, the caps 18 for said hoods are then applied and the water in the container allowed to boil for cooking the contents of the jars.

It is now to be observed that the steam generated in the container will rise into the steaming hoods 17 when these hoods will respectively serve to retain a body of steam about the jars throughout its whole length. The contents of each jar will thus be uniformly cooked while the contents of all of the ars will, in turn, be cooked uniformly. The striking advantages of this feature, in a device of the present character, will be at once appreciated. Should it be desired to examine the contents of any one jar, the cap of the steaming hood containing that jar may simply be removed when, if found expedient, the may be partially lifted from the hood. In like manner, any one or more of the jars may, without molesting any of the other jars, be removed from the boiler. This feature is of advantage in that it may sometimes be desired to cook the contents of certain jars longer than that of others. In this connection it is to be particularly noted that when the cap of any one steaming hood is removed, only the steam in that particular hood will, due to the fact that the water in the boiler will close the hoods at their lower ends, be allowed to escape from the boiler. Thus, a minimum of steam will be wasted when a jar is placed within or removed from the boiler while the temperature of the other jars in the boiler'will not be affected nor will the temperature of the water in the boiler be appreciably lowered. Thus, the cooking operation may progress continuously while, at the same time, jars may be placed within or removed from the boiler at will. The jar baskets are preferably so formed that these baskets will, as particularly brought out in Fig. 3, support the jars within the steaming hoods at such height that the bottom ends of the jars will be disposed substantially flush with the lower edges of the hoods, this being for the purpose that a pocket of steam will, as previously indicated, surround each of the jars throughout its entire length. However, it should be observed that the steaming hoods are entirely open at their bottom ends so that if desired or found expedient, the jar baskets may be temporarily dispensed with and the jars rested upon the bottom wall of the container.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the character described including a container, a lid closing the container, individual steaming hoods depending from the lid into the container, and closures for said hoods.

2. A device of the character described including a container, individual steaming hoods extending therein, individual canning vessel holders adapted to be freely received within said hoods respectively, and closures for the hoods.

A device of the character described including a container, steaming hoods extending therein and open at their upper and lower ends, individual canning vessel holders adapted to be received in said hoods respectively for supporting canning vessels within the hoods disposed substantially flush at their lower ends with the lower ends of the hoods, and closures for the upper ends of the hoods.

4. A device of the character described in cluding a container, steaming hoods extending into the container and opening therein, and individual closures for said hoods whereby any one of the hoods may be uncovered without permitting the escape of steam from the container through the other of said hoods.

5. A device of the character described including a container, a lid closing the container, steaming hoods depending from the lid into the container, the lid being removable for displacing all of the hoods simultaneously from the container, and closures for said hoods.

6. A device of the character described i11- cluding a container, a lid closing the container and having a flange fitting the container, a guide flange for the lid carried by said first mentioned flange and depending within the container, a steaming hood supported by the lid to extend into the container, and a closure for said hood.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

PREETON BELVIN. [Ls] 

